Minerva Record W – Austrian Tube Radio from the Mid-1950s
The Minerva Record W is an Austrian table radio from the mid-1950s. It belongs to the post-war generation of larger wooden domestic receivers, combining AM reception with the then increasingly important FM/UKW band.
Minerva was one of the well-known Austrian radio manufacturers, based in Vienna and operating under the company name Radiola-Radioapparate und Bestandteile W. Wohleber & Co. The Record series reflects the typical design language of mid-1950s Austrian radios: a polished wooden cabinet, a wide illuminated dial, front-mounted loudspeakers and push-button band selection.
This particular set is a Minerva Record W with five push buttons and two front loudspeakers. It is therefore not the later or different Record W 566 version with six push buttons and three loudspeakers, and it is also not the 3D version with additional loudspeakers.
So in its external appearance, this radio is very close to the five-push-button Minerva Record-U 3D 556U or Record-W 3D 556W variants. However, the present set is not a 3D version: it has only two front loudspeakers and no additional side-mounted 3D loudspeakers.
Condition
This Minerva Record W is preserved in unrestored condition, exactly as acquired. No electrical or cosmetic restoration has yet been carried out.
Technical Data
- Manufacturer: Minerva-Radio, Radiola-Radioapparate und Bestandteile W. Wohleber & Co., Vienna, Austria
- Model: Minerva Record W
- Type: Record 556 W
- Year: around 1954/1955
- Type: valve table radio
- Principle: superheterodyne receiver
- Wavebands: long wave, medium wave, short wave and FM/UKW
- Controls: five push buttons
- Loudspeakers: two front loudspeakers
- Cabinet: wooden table cabinet
- Power supply: AC mains
Circuit Diagram
References and Further Reading
Radiomuseum.org – Minerva Record-U 3D 556U
Useful comparison model. The Record-U 3D 566 is listed as a 1955 Minerva table radio with five push buttons and three loudspeakers, therefore it should not be used as the direct identification for this set.
Radiomuseum.org – Minerva Record-W 3D 556W
Useful comparison for the 3D variant. This model has five push buttons but is listed with three loudspeakers, so it differs from this radio with only two front loudspeakers.
Pictures
